Jan. 3, 2010

Box Score

Audio Recap - The River Hawk Report

The #12/14 UMass Lowell River Hawks (11-7-1, 5-4-1 HE) suffered a heart-breaking loss, 2-1, to Northeastern (8-8-1, 4-7-1 HE) in the Championship game of the Ledyard Bank Classic, hosted by Dartmouth College. Kory Falite (Billerica, MA) scored the lone River Hawk goal of the game.

Northeastern struck first, 9:15 into the opening period, on a power play score from Alex Tuckerman (Orleans, MA). Wade MacLeod (Coquitlam, B.C.) puck handled on the far boards before sending a cross ice pass to Carter Hutton's (Thunder Bay, Ont.) back door for a quick tap in by Tuckerman. The score broke Hutton's nearly 130 minute scoreless streak and gave the Huskies an early 1-0 advantage.

The River Hawks evened the game just 1:45 into a highly contested second period on a goal by Kory Falite (Billerica, MA). The puck swung around the boards to David Vallorani (Hamilton, Ont.), who did a quick spin and put it on net. Falite positioned himself on the short-side post and was able to deflect the puck past Chris Rawlings (North Delta, B.C.). The score was Falite's team-leading 10th of the season and knotted the contest at 1-1. Despite outshooting Northeastern 16-7 in the middle period, the remainder of the second went scoreless.

The Huskies regained the lead late in the third period on a game-winning power play goal by Jake Newton (San Jacinto, CA). Newton received the puck from David Strathman (Tempe, AZ) as he skated into the UMass Lowell zone and was able to sneak a quick released shot short-side on Hutton. The puck found daylight between his arm and the post, giving Northeastern the 2-1 advantage and, ultimately, the win.

After the final buzzer, Falite and Hutton were one of six players named to the Ledyard Bank Classic All-Tournament Team. Falite finished with two goals and an assist. In two starts in net, Hutton made 55 saves, allowed just two goals and earned his ninth career shutout.

With the tournament behind them, the River Hawks will hit the road for two Hockey East games next weekend. First, UMass Lowell will face New Hampshire on Friday at 7 p.m. in Durham, N.H. The next night, the River Hawks will travel to Northeastern on Saturday. The rematch with the Huskies will be broadcast live on NESN at 7:30 p.m.